Weighing-machine.



N0. Z63,560- PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904. M. HOFMANN.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

- APPLIOATIOH FILED AUG. 28, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

n15 Norms PETERS 0o wwnaumu: msumsmn u UNITED STATES p Patented June 28,1&4.

PATENT OFFICE.

WEIGHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,560, dated June 28,1904.

T0 on whom, it mm concern:

Be it known that I, MATHIAs HOFMANN, a citi- Zen of the United States,residingat Knightsville, in the county of Clay and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Veighing-Machine, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to weighing-machines of that character employinga scale-supported receptacle Within which there is arranged a partitionor valve that constitutes a partial support for the material placed inthe recep taele and is arranged to swing with relation to thefeed-hopper when a determinate amount of material has been placed withinthe receptacle. r

The prime object of this invention is to provide a simple structurewhich will, be accurate without regard to the amount of material in thereceptacle and wherein the weight of the material against thepartitionwill not be converted by the holding means forthe partition into adownward thrust upon the receptacle until said receptacle has moved fromits initial position.

The preferred form of construction is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, where m Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvedweighing-machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional viewthrough the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken at rightangles to Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the relationof the several pivots and the manner in which they coact.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

In the embodiment a supporting-frame is employed comprising a lowerboxing 10 and an upper boxing 11, connected at their corners by suitablestandards 12. Supported within the upper boxing is a hopper 13, theopposite walls of which converge, while a discharge-funnel let issuitably arranged at the lower portion of the supporting-framepreferably within the lower boxing.

Pivotally supported upon certain of the standards 12 is a scale-beam 15,having the usual arm upon which is slidably mounted a Serial No.171,143. (No model.)

weight 16. The inner end of this beam is in the form of a stirrup 17,between and to which is hung a receptacle 18, said receptacle thus beingdisposed within the supportingframe with its open upper end beneath thehopper 13. The lower end of the receptacle is contracted by walls 19 andhas adischargeopening 20, which is'located directly over the funnel 14.A guiding-link 21 is preferably employed, being attached at one end tothe lower end of the receptacle and at the other end to one of thestandards 12.

Pivoted intermediate its ends within the receptacle is a valve orpartition 22, the pivot 23 of which is arranged centrally of saidreceptacle. The upper end of the partition projects above the receptacleand coacts with the oppositely-inclined walls of the hopper 13, thelower end being movable between the lower edges of the converging bottomwalls 19 of the receptacle. Holding-links 24 are pivoted to the upperboxing 11, the pivot 25 being disposed in vertical alinement with thepivot 23 of the partition, and the vertical plane in which these pivotsare located pass ing centrally through the hopper 13. The other ends ofthe links 24 are pivoted, as indicated at 26, to the upper end of thepartition, and when said partition is in coacting relation with thewalls of the hopper the links will be arranged horizontally, or, inother words, at right angles to a line intersecting thevertically-alined pivots. The manner of using this structure will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art. The weight 16 havingbeen adjusted to the amount desired, it will be evident that materialpassed through the hopper 13 will enter the closed compartment formed bythe partition 22 until the weight of said material will depress therecep tacle. This will cause the partition to swing upon its pivot,thereby opening the compartment and permitting the discharge of thematerial into the funnel 1a. The lateral pressure against the partitionwill be sufficient to insure its swinging to the position shown indotted lines, whereupon an oppositely-arranged eompartment will beformed, into which the material will now gravitate, and the operationabove described will be repeated.

'It is especially desired to call attention to two features in thisoperation. In the first place the lateral pressure of the materialagainst the partition will not be converted by the holding means 2 1into a downward thrust upon the receptacle until said receptacle hasmoved from its initial position. This is due, as will be evident,especially by reference to Fig. 4, to the arrangement of the links inhorizontal position, or, in other words, at right angles to a lineintersecting the pivots 25 and 23. This is due to the fact that thepivots 25 and 26 are on a dead-center, and the pressure against thelinks will be in a direct line and not tend to throw said linksdownwardly. As soon as the downward movement of the receptacle begins,however, the pivots move out of this dead-line, and as a result thepressure of the material against the partition will be converted by thelinks into a downward thrust, accelerating the depression of thereceptacle and effecting a rapid discharge. At the same time themomentum caused will insure the swinging of the partition to itsopposite position. Thus no matter how much material is to be weighed themachine will be accurate, there being no variation in the downwardthrust, yet at the same time after the full amount has been obtainedrapidity of discharge is acquired. These are two important features inthis structure.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, andmany advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A weighing-machine, including a scale, a verticallyanovablereceptacle for the material to be weighed, a laterally-movable partitioncontrolling the escape of the material from the receptacle, and a linkfor retaining the partition against lateral movement, said link beingdisposed to sustain the partition against the pressure of the materialwhen the receptacle is in its elevated position without converting saidpressure into a downward thrust upon the receptacle.

2. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a support, of a scale, areceptacle supported by the scale, a swinging partition located withinthe receptacle, and a link pivoted to the partition and to the support,said link, when the receptacle is elevated, being disposed in ahorizontal position.

3. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a support, of a scale, areceptacle supported on the scale, a partition pivotally hungintermediate its ends within the receptacle, and a link pivoted at oneend'to the support in substantially vertical alinement with the pivot ofthe partition, the other end of the link being pivotally attached to thepartition so that when the. receptacle is elevated the link will be atsubstantially right angles to a line intersecting said vertically-alinedpivots.

4:. In a weighing-machine, the combination with a support, of a hopperlocated at the upper end of the support, a scale mounted on the support,an open-ended receptacle supported on the scale and arranged below thehopper, a partition pivotally hung intermediate its ends within thereceptacle, the upper end of the partition coacting with the oppositeWalls of the hopper, and the .lower end being movable across the bottomof the receptacle, and links pivoted to the hopper and to the partition,said links, when the receptacle is elevated, being disposed. insubstantially horizontal position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

MATHIAS HOFMANN.

Witnesses:

J'. M. RAWLEY,

ELVA CLINGERMAN.

